Don't Let Me Go
by AlyssaRachelle
Summary: Eli and Clare are becoming closer,but when one person they thought gone hurts Clare,can Clare retain her sanity in household full of rage,and a new secret she needs to tell?And if Eli finds out can he stay sane and keep Clare safe?Better than it sounds!
1. Chapter 1: Forgiven

_** Read before Continuing! -v**_

Hello all of the fan fiction readers out there! This is my first time writing something for this site in a very long time. I have taken up an interest in the new season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. I hope everyone likes this story. I'm a little bit rusty when it comes to writing, so constructive criticism is welcome.

Warning: In this story, there may or may not be an OC, and OOC will more than likely occur occasionally. I'll try to avoid OOC. Also, this chapter takes place two days before they return from fall break, therefore Eli has not reveled to Clare that he is hoarder, and there has been none of the drama that has taken place after the dance. Yet. I will determine whether I want to change that or not.

Disclaimer : I do no own the series Degrassi: The Next Generation. Nor will I ever. This fan fiction is merely a way to converge my creativeness into one big well organized piece of writing. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter One: Forgiven

"_It's been almost two weeks now.._" Clare thought as she lay on her bed looking at the Colbie Calliat poster taped to the ceiling. She was thinking of Eli again. Elijah Goldsworthy. The only human on the planet it seemed that could make her laugh and smile anymore. Her and Alli were best friends, until Alli became involved with drew and almost completely forgot her existence. Clare scoffed; some best friend leaving her just when things were getting more difficult to handle at home. Now the only person Clare felt she could rely on wasn't here with her when she needed him to be. After the Vegas Night dance, where Elijah almost got stabbed, Clare hadn't spoken to him.

Clare still cared for Eli. She couldn't deny that she might even love him, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive him for just not giving up the stupid feud between himself and fitz."For Christs' sake Elijah, the kid brought a knife!" Clare exclaimed to no one but the stuffed animals laying next to her. Clare grimaced; Mark Fitzgerald. She huffed plopping her head onto a pillow. The only person she could actually say she had so much disdain for it came close to qualifying as hatred.

It was his stupid fault for damaging Morty which started the whole feud, and now she was laying in her bed contemplating whether or not she should go talk to Eli. Which by the way, she wouldn't have to be contemplating at all if Fitz wasn't such an ass hole, and if Eli wasn't so damn stubborn. Clare sighed and sat up on her bed. "Okay! I've decided. I'll go talk to Eli today" she stated confidently to herself and stood up._"After all, he was just defending my honor against Fitz." _Clare thought as she slipped on a pair of black flats, and new shirt.

Clare grabbed her green bag and was out her bedroom door, and down the stairs in a split second. She tried to be quick these days. Clare was greeted with silence when she got downstairs. _"Hmm, odd..there's no.." _

_**CRASH!**_

"Thought too soon, I see" Clare said sighing as she walked into the kitchen to see a broken china plate on the floor and dear Mrs. Edwards glaring at good old Mr. Edwards. Clare had long since given up on calling them mom and dad, since they hardly acted like it. She rather treat them like they treat her; a stranger.

"Mrs. Edwards, I'm going to go see a friend. I don't know when I'll be back, so don't ask" Clare stared as Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Edwards completely ignored her statement and resumed yelling and throwing dining ware at each other. Clare chuckled lightly, of course they ignored her; once again. Clare didn't really mind anymore. She stepped out the front door of their small quaint house and into the brisk chilled November air. She quickly reach into her the back pocket of her white skinny jeans , pulled out her cellphone, and typed a message to Eli.

"_**Eli. The Dot in ten? I need to talk to you – Clare"**_

She then quickly hid it back in her pocket, and made her way to the D.o.t Cafe.

(Scene switch)

* * *

Eli sighed heavily staring at Cece, and Bullfrog as they consistently chatted about some of the things they did as teenagers. He rolled his eyes, they were definitely not the issue at hand here. He hadn't talked to Clare in almost two weeks, and they'd be starting school back soon. He needed to talk to her. However, he knew she would try to avoid him.

He internally groaned. It was that fucking kid Fitz' fault for damaging poor Morty and starting the whole feud anyway. If he had thought for one second, that the psycho would of pulled a knife, he would have never let things get so tense. Eli grabbed his glass of water off the table and almost dropped it as he felt a buzzing in his pocket.

A glint of hope flickered in Elis' eyes as he snapped open the phone and saw Clares' name flashing across the screen with an iridescent glow. He smiled, glad that it was her name that once more was on his phones screen. He read the text, and glanced up at his folks' who were still chattering.

_** Message from Clare! "Eli. The Dot in ten? I need to talk to you – Clare"**_

Eli spoke swiftly, as he stood from his seat at the Little Miss Steak House. "Where you going, baby boy?" Cece spoke. "I need to go talk to Clare" was all he said as he left the table. He rolled his eyes, as he heard Cece exclaim to bullfrog with a giggle, "Ah young love!". He felt the chilled air of November hit him like a brick as he swiftly made his way to Morty,and the D.o.t Cafe.

(Scene switch)

* * *

Clare sighed, as she fiddled with the cross necklace around her neck. She was sitting at the Dot, and it had been almost ten minutes since she texted Eli. "_Maybe he's not coming.."_ Clare thought taking a sip of her green tea. Just as she was contemplating whether or not he would show up, she heard loud music coming from the Dot parking lot. She smiled seeing Eli pull up in Morty. She glanced down at her cup, as he walked into the small cafe.

Eli smiled seeing Clare sitting there, absorbed into her own thoughts. Her auburn colored hair was curled and he could make out the fact that she was twirling he necklace in her fingers. He took in a breath and walked to where she was seated.

"Long time no see, Edwards" He smiled pulling out a chair and sitting across from her. Clare smiled at him,"You think so, Goldsworthy?" She retorted back. _"It feels so good to see those eyes again.." _She thought as he smirked at her. She then replaced her smile with a more serious look. "Look, Eli. I texted you and asked you to come here because I needed to talk to you about Vegas Night, and us." Eli gulped and stared at her, "Clare..I". She cut him off continuing her sentence, "Just shut up Eli. Listen, I like you a lot. I know what you did was just to defend me, but you could of really gotten hurt. I thought long and hard as to if I should forgive you or not.."

Eli felt so horrible. He had thought about her all break, and all he wanted to do was look at her and tell he cared and didn't mean to put her through so much worry. He listened as she continued on, never taking his eyes off of her baby blue ones. "I just want you to know Eli, these past weeks have been horrible without you, and if you promise me that this _thing _between you and Fitz is done with, then _**I forgive you**_." Clare smiled as relief washed over his face.

"Oh, Clare. I'm so relieved to hear you say that. I was actually going to apologize for being so stubborn, and not being there over the break. I really care for you, Clare." Eli smiled taking her hand in his, and rubbing his thumb over hers' gently. "And I promise this thing between Fitz and I will never happen again".

* * *

End Chapter One.

Hint: Something is going to happen that will make Eli question keeping his promise to Clare, when comes to the feud with Fitz. Stay Tuned in!

Love,

Alyssa.


	2. Chapter 2:Why are you talking to me?

Hey there! It's me again, I'm going to try and do as many updates as I possibly can. Understand that I do have other priorities when school starts back in a few days however. I will try really hard.! I got caught up in this storyline already, and if you read the first chapter you may kind of confused. This chapter will sort of dive into more details, but I'm not getting to the big shocker yet. There will be quite a lot of drama. Be prepared.

Disclaimer: I do no own the series Degrassi: The Next Generation. Nor will I ever. This fan fiction is merely a way to converge my creativeness into one big well-organized piece of writing. Enjoy.

A/N: This chapter takes place on Clare and Elis' first day back at Degrassi.

Chapter Two: Why are you talking to me?

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"_When I was younger, I saw my Daddy cry, and curse at the wind. He broke his own heart. And I watched as he tried to reassemble it, and my momma swore that she would never let herself forget. And that day I promised I would never sing of love, if it does not exist but darling you are, the Only Exception."_

The noise that reached her ears was a bit distant and for a moment Clare didn't realize what it was. She questioned it as she slowly began to recognize the sound of Hayley Williams voice that flooded her room. She yawned, sat up on her bed, and hit the off button on her alarm. It just couldn't have been morning already, Clare thought as she slouched against her pillow once more. She was just about to outwardly grumble when her train of thought was interrupted by a screech. "**_Really_? **Fighting this early in the morning" she said to no one, while she pulled herself out from the warmth of her comforter.

She quickly grabbed her new school regulation uniform, and headed to her shower. After a shower, spending some time fixing her hair, and getting dressed she grabbed her backpack and went downstairs simply to find her parents had gone to work already. It seemed as if she had to walk again. Clare sighed as she stepped outside and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

(Scene Switch)

Clare sighed as she walked through the doors of Degrassi. She had looked around the parking lot, and there was no sign of Morty anywhere. She frowned as she opened up her locker, and contemplated what could have made Eli later than usual to school. He was always there before her, since she had to walk. Just as she had pulled out her cell phone to text him she jumped. A pair of arms had been wrapped firmly around her waist, and a chin rested atop shoulder.

"Trying to contact someone important, Edwards? You look so concentrated" Eli smirked as Clare turned to face him, a bit flushed from the scare.

"Why is it any concern of yours, Goldsworthy? Run along now." She smiled though she knew that he was aware that she had been kidding.

"I'm hurt, Edwards. I care to much for you to just get rid of me so easily." He smiled softly and brought his face closer to hers.

Clare blushed as she watched Eli with intent eyes. She could feel the heat of his breath on her skin, and she felt butterflies flutter around in her stomach as she closed her eyes and leaned forward to press her lips to his. The kiss was amazing. It was like the first time he had kissed, except slower, and less intense. It had such passion.

They stood their for what seemed like hours, too wrapped up in each other to notice the pair of envious eyes that watched them.

(Scene Switch. Unknown Person)

* * *

He watched as Eli and Clare laughed with each other. It was sickening. How Clare could like the pathetic excuse for a human, he didn't know. He sneered, and spat on the red tile in the hallway. He planned to show them anyway. He smirked, and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He narrowed his eyes at Eli, and then set a softer glare upon Clares' image. They wouldn't know what hit them once he was able to move his plans forward. He smirked once more, before he took his leave down the hallway to take care of some _business._

(Scene Switch)

* * *

Clare sighed. She was the only in the halls of Degrassi, as she made her way to her locker to retrieve her Chemistry textbook. The teacher had excused her from class to go get her materials, which she had forgotten beforehand because of the way that she had gotten caught up with Eli. Although, it was not like she minded that much. She smiled at the thought. Chemistry was the only class she didn't have with Eli, aside from Geometry. She hated them both, due to the lack of the boy in question.

Clare suddenly shivered, and the hairs on her neck stood at attention. She could feel a presence with her as she stood in front of her open locker. She felt a pair of arms once again wrap around her like a blanket. She smiled at first and turned, with the expectation to be greeted by the emerald eyes that belonged to Eli. Instead she was shocked to see K.C was the one with a firm grip on her waist. Clare glared, and removed his hands from her hips.

"K.C, why are you here?" She all but hissed at the boy who broke her heart just so he could run off, and impregnate her former friend. No, she was neither bitter nor jealous; she just felt that he was a pathetic person. K.C smiled and placed his hands right back on her hips.

"Aren't you happy to see I'm talking to you, Clare-bear?" he said as he smiled even wider, and squeezed his grip on her hips even tighter.

Clare could feel her heart race with panic, and removed his hands again. K.C had acted odd before, but not that creepy.

"Well, actually K.C, I really could care less if you spoke to me. In fact, I would rather you refrain from speaking to me, or calling me Clare-bear; I'm not with you K.C. _**I don't want you**._" Clare stated matter-o'-factually as she slammed her locker shut. She had actually started to grow annoyed with his presence, and he had begun to creep her out. It was the way he looked her up and down.

K.C snarled under his breath as he watched her slam her locker, and try to walk away. He roughly grabbed her wrist, and pushed her up against a locker.

"Listen Clare-Bear, I love you..." he started to say just as the bell rang.

The bell interrupted K.C. to signal the end of third period. He quickly let go of her when he saw a rumpled mess of black hair, named Eli headed down the hall.

"We'll finish later, bye Clare-bear" He kissed her cheek and practically ran down the hall. In the few short moments he had been gone Clare had gone from standing to a slumped sitting position on the hallway floor and begun to cry into her arms. She was already able to feel the bruises as they formed on her arm. She couldn't have fathomed what his problem was; he had left her, not the other way around

Clare's crying spell was interrupted when Eli crouched down in front of her, and tilted her face up too look at him.

He felt so crushed to see Clare cry, and automatically felt the desire to crush the persons face in, no matter who it was that had done such a thing to his baby.

"Clare, why are you crying?" He asked as he wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb.

Clare choked on her tears and told Eli everything that had happened moments beforehand. As she spoke, Eli clenched his fists tighter when she showed him her wrist that had already begun to swell.

"I'm going to kill, K.C. He is a fucking dead man walking." Eli said. He clenched his fists so hard he could almost feel pinpricks of blood surface, and his teeth were ground so tightly that it hurt. Clare let out a small cry, and put her arms around his neck. Eli sighed, and returned the embrace.

"Please don't Eli. I'm okay...I promise" Clare begged, she was always so non-confrontational. Eli sighed nodding his head in agreement for the time being. She put up with a lot already, he thought, and kissed her forehead softly.

"If he says so much as one more thing though, Clare..." Eli trailed off. Clare nodded understanding the unspoken words he had just exchanged. One more word from K.C to her, and he was a dead man walking. If they only knew, K.C isn't the main person to look out for.

(Scene switch)

* * *

K.C had huffed as he had quickly jogged his way across the Degrassi parking lot, past the dot and to ravine. He wasn't very familiar with the territory, it wasn't exactly jock central, but the person he had been seeking was known to hang out there. He had grinned as he saw the man he had been looking for propped up against a presumably broken down station wagon. K.C strutted over to the man.

"You K.C Guthrie?" The man inquired as he tilted his head back to get a better look at him. He had a toothpick in his mouth, and sported a cigarette that had been tucked quaintly behind his ear. K.C nodded his head affirmatively in response, and reached into his back pocket. His hand emerged with a pack of Paul Malls, and 200 dollars. The man grinned at K.C., snatched the money, flipped through to make sure it was good, and lit up one of his newly gained cigarettes.

"So, K.C huh? Whose the little bitch you want me to take out?" The man questioned, as he let a cloud of smoke drift from his mouth.

K.C grinned at the man as he took out a picture from his jacket pocket.

The man had grinned at the picture, as he took it into his hands and burned a cigarette hole into the female's face.

"I take it you know my dear little Clare-bear?" K.C said with a smirk firmly planted on his lips.

"Oh, yes, and taking her down is going to be…satisfying to say the least." He laughed, and threw his finished cigarette on the ground. He glanced at the other teens that had been loitering around the ravine, and he smirked. "Oh, yes little Edwards, this will be fun for me, and your poor little emo boy Eli" He laughed to himself one more time, before he slipped out of the ravine.

* * *

End of Chapter Two.

Who do you think the mystery man hm? And K.C?

More soon,

Love Alyssa.


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